Dusty Roses
by Crazicrystal
Summary: A short and sweet story about Natsume and Mikan.


I just made my first music video!!!!!

I'm really excited about my video for Gakuen Alice! It's a Natsume and Mikan video, using the song Vulnerable by Secondhand Serenade. Visit my profile for the link to my YouTube profile to watch!

**Dusty Roses**

**By Crystal Wettingfeld**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice.**

It was over.

Everything was finished.

The evil ruling the academy was gone.

It was a trialing fight, and required a united stance, but it was finally over.

This is after the dust had settled.

This is after the mourning of those who had been lost.

This is when life begins again at Gakuen Alice.

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"Hotaru, does this look good?" Mikan gave a short twirl to show off her new black and blue school uniform. Hotaru rolled her eyes, "We're wearing the same thing, baka. Hurry up! I'm not going to be late for the first day of middle school because of you." Mikan pouted briefly before throwing her hair up in pigtails. "Okay, ready!"

Ruka knocked gently on Natsume's door. Agitated that he couldn't sleep longer, Natsume's eyes slowly peeled open and he rolled out of bed. "Coming," He muttered before throwing on his clothes. "And useless classes begin again."

Mikan burst loudly into her new classroom, "Good morning!" Since she already knew most of the students in the class, she received a healthy welcome. Before Mikan could even think of asking, Hotaru took an empty seat next to Yuu and another student, not leaving a place for Mikan. She huffed, "That's so unfair…" Mikan reluctantly found a seat an empty desk. However, she fell to the floor just as Natsume kicked the seat from under her. "That's my seat, move over."

"Why do you have to be such a jerk?" Mikan grumbled as she took the seat next to him. He glared at her, "Why do you have to wear pigtails, little girl?" Frustrated, Mikan shoved his manga off the desk. "I'm older than you, you mean fox!" Natsume's eyes narrowed, "At least I can read, unlike you." With an aggravated scream, Mikan pounced on him, hitting him as they both fell to the floor.

"Quiet!" The teacher commanded as he entered the room. Grudgingly, the two broke apart. Grabbing his manga, Natsume whacked Mikan's butt with it before he calmly took his seat. She tried to remain calm as she silently fumed. _What happened to "nice" Natsume?_ Ruka rolled his eyes at Natsume's obvious rouge for attention.

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After class, Mikan met with her friends for lunch. The girls giggled as they replayed the earlier scene with Natsume. Blushing Mikan tried to hush them. "Come on, we're like that all the time. It's no big deal." Hotaru rolled her eyes, "Yeah, right." Nonoko nodded in agreement with a huge grin, "Yeah, isn't it different now that you two are in love?" Mikan's heart skipped a beat.

"What are you talking about? We're not "In Love". I doubt Natsume even knows what that feels like. Besides, I don't even want a boyfriend." The girls giggled at her cluelessness. Finally Anna spoke up. "Come on, Mikan. We all know he confessed to you, we're not stupid."

Mikan thought back to the Sports Festival a couple of years ago. The contestant were to bring the judge an item that matched the description of the card they received. Before she could blink, a boy with a mask pulled her out of the crowd and to the judge's stand. He was to bring the person he loved the most. _That's stupid, Mikan. Nobody even knows who that was. It probably wasn't even Natsume. How could that count as a confession?_

Blushing, Mikan looked down at her food, "I don't know what you're talking about. He's never confessed to me. He doesn't even like me." Hotaru whacked Mikan on the head, "Idiot. He flat out told the principal that he loved you. You don't remember that?" Mikan scowled at Hotaru. "Don't lie. He never did such th…" Then she remembered the discussion between Natsume and the principal. _**"I won't sit back and watch the woman I love sink into the same darkness I'm in. I don't care about the future you want. Whatever happens… I'll protect this person."**_ _Was that a confession?_

Shocked, Mikan shook her head violently. "No… It's not like that… We're not dating." Luckily, they dropped the subject when they saw the sad look on Mikan's face. _Does he really like me?_

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"Natsume…" Ruka spoke, finally breaking the silence between them. Avoiding Ruka's gaze, Natsume kept his eyes on his lunch. "Hn?" Aggravated that Natsume had been avoiding the subject for too long, Ruka continued with more confidence. "Natsume! You can't regress like this. You were so close to being with Mikan, it's not her fault that she was too overwhelmed to realize." Natsume slowly picked at his food for a moment before answering. "She doesn't feel the way that I do."

Ruka's scoff actually made Natsume look up intrigued. "You can't honestly believe that. I see how she looks and acts with you. If you're worried about me, stop. I don't have a chance with her, and I'm moving on." The smirk on his face made Ruka smile. "Looks like I'm rubbing off on you." Ruka chuckled, "Yeah, you're such a bad influence."

The topic was dropped, but Ruka could tell Natsume was thinking about it. He was watching her from across the cafeteria, smiling with her friends. _All we do is argue, why would she like that? She doesn't even show an interest in boys, like the other girls. She is truly unique. My Mikan… If I were to share my feelings with you… would you return them?_

The lunch period was shortly over and Natsume's torture began again… sitting next to a woman he didn't deserve to taint….

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A moment and they were alone.

Natsume stirred from a nap and awoke to an empty classroom… Well, almost empty. Mikan lay on her desk beside him. Her lips were only inches from his own. Amazed, Natsume watched as she breathed in and out, the air gently brushing through her pink lips. _I don't deserve her._

Mikan awoke feeling an intense flutter in her stomach. She could feel the warmth and closeness of someone beside her. She could feel eyes intently studying her, and a soft breath brushing across her cheek. _Natsume._ She barely saw his crimson eyes through her opening lashes before she bridged the minor gap between their lips.

The kiss what soft and tender, warm and exciting. It was different from their first kiss. This time, Mikan wanted to kiss him. She wanted to feel that closeness to him again, but at her initiative. She couldn't always let Natsume win.

She felt him gasp in surprise before melding back against her. His hand gently brushed her hair out of her face before their kiss broke. Sighing, Mikan slowly lifted her head as she watched him do the same.

"Natsume, was it you?" _She can't be that stupid._ Natsume's brow furrowed. "Yes, you just kissed me." Mikan blushed and shook her head. "I **know** that. Was it you… that day at the Sports Festival?" Natsume immediately remembered that day, and how he had borrowed another student's mask to escape from notice. "… How did you know?" Mikan smiled at his round about answer. "I could find you in a crowd of a million people, Natsume." Cautiously, she briefly kissed his lips. "I love you."

Surprised, Natsume couldn't help but blush. "You do?" She nodded gently before giving him a calm and understanding look. "I've never seen any another guy besides you. Do you know how weird it is to go from not noticing guys to all of a sudden being in love with one?" She laughed carelessly.

Smiling, Natsume nodded. "I wouldn't say "guy", but rather "little girl"…" He paused briefly before whispering. "Mikan, I love you." He thought about kissing her again, but the door mysteriously opened followed by a flash of light.

"Hotaru!"

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About Natsume's quote to the principal, it's not entirely correct. The translation I read wasn't very clear, so I cleaned it up. I copied the translation below:

"_**The woman I love, as I see her sink in the same darkness I am in, what damn things might happen in the future, those type of thoughts can't enter my head now. The future that you guys want, I don't care about that. From now on… whatever happens, I'll protect this person."**_


End file.
